Love, be mine
by Minne-My
Summary: If anyone had wanted Dr Faulkner to get beaten up...
1. Chapter 1

It pissed Leah Faulkner off that her persistence wasn't paying off. It normally worked but Serena Campbell was unyielding. It had gone so well that night. It had been over a year now but she couldn't let go. She'd really liked her. Except that the woman had frozen on her and had continued doing so from that point on. The shock on her face when she saw her, stopping dead in her tracks the day that Leah had walked into Holby City. She'd been civil, bordering on formal to her but it was clear that she hadn't wanted her colleagues to know of their encounter. In those moments, she had looked mortified and Leah felt a smug thrill ripple through her watching how uncomfortable it made her. She'd so wanted to get her hands on this woman but she'd pulled away at the last minute, declining to state her reasons. Serena probably wasn't out yet, mused the F1, watching her target across the ward. Perhaps Leah had been her first sapphic kiss. Maybe that's why she had left. Maybe that's why she shied away from her even now. Perhaps that ex-husband of hers had won her back and she'd persuaded herself that that kiss hadn't happened, that she was totally straight. Middle aged women could be like that. Another reason to try it on with them. They could be pathetically grateful for the attention. But Ms Campbell didn't seem that way. She'd been genuinely fun to talk to, warm and engaging with a wicked smile so why had she ducked away at the last minute? Leah wouldn't have hesitated at being propositioned for a one-night stand with such an interesting woman but Serena obviously hadn't seen it that way.

She was startled out of her reverie this time as Bernie Wolfe started barking commands at her. A tough nut to crack, she worked downstairs in the ED and Leah had worked with her on occasion. Bernie treated the F1 perfectly fine but she tended to sniff out when Leah was looking at Serena for too long. She was weirdly suspicious, considering that Serena had proved that she could take care of herself, blocking Leah at every turn. But Leah was losing patience. It had been 3 months since she'd come to work at Holby and she'd tried every trick in the book. Asking for supervision, cornering her in her office, running coffee errands. But nothing had worked and today was her last day.

Leah scuttled off to do as the Major said, all the while thinking of how to coerce Serena to Albie's for a goodbye drink.

Major Wolfe stared after her for a bit. She was starting to distrust this particular F1 but couldn't say why. She was clingy with Serena and it concerned Bernie that it was possibly the reason why her girlfriend had seemed so unnerved recently.

Leah saw her chance when Serena finished her shift at the same time. Subtly trapping her against the door of the on-call room, she questioned on Serena's evening plans.

'I'd like it if you were there' she said, coquettishly glancing at her from under her eyelashes. Serena looked rattled and aggravated. Silently praying to a God she didn't believe in for this creature to leave her alone. Just half a day more and she'd be free of her.

'I think I'll be busy' she said. She tried to push past but there was an element of threat in the way Leah gripped her arm.

'You don't want me to tell your girlfriend what we did, do you?'

Because she'd finally figured it out. She'd been so slow to realise. They'd hidden it well, easy when you worked on separate floors but it was clear as day if you looked closely. Major Wolfe was the girlfriend.

'What we did was of no consequence to my relationship. You can tell her what you like, she won't take any notice of you' Serena scornfully told her. 'Get out of my way.'

Leah blocked her the way she did last week by the lift. Serena had hated it, not being able to walk away and up the stairs, knowing that either it would look aggressive and confrontational in public or that Leah would accompany her on the stairs anyway. She'd answered blandly and non-commitally, looking off to the side, knowing how rude it made her seem but unable to make herself converse normally with such a creep.

Leah hadn't seen the slap coming. But she sure as hell felt it.


	2. Chapter 2

Bernie came running at the motion of it, Donna not far behind. Serena was shocked at the backhander she'd given her but with her body violently shaking at the impact, she knew she couldn't not have kept herself from lashing out. She knew she shouldn't have done it but it had felt like such a release. The look of injury in those baby blues made her vengeful, not contrite.

Donna grabbed a shocked and battered Leah before she could murmur and pushed her into the on-call room.

'What the hell was that?!' Exclaimed Bernie.

'I just needed her to get off my back.'

Now Bernie was sure that there was something Serena hadn't told her about the new F1.


	3. Chapter 3

'Is there something I need to know?'

They sat in Serena's office, mugs of tea getting cold. Serena fiddled with her necklace, not meeting the opposing eyes.

'You've met her before.'

'Yes. Around Christmas.'

'Which one?' Bernie hoped it hadn't been the last one.

'The year before last.'

Bernie tried to work it out. That part of the year she had been in Kiev, running away from Holby and Serena. She hadn't been proud of it.

'I met her at a trendy wine bar. We got on well. We kissed.'

'Did she kiss you or…?'

'I kissed her. I didn't think there would be anything more than that.'

Bernie knew about the people that Serena had filled her time with while she had been in Kiev. Robbie the ex-boyfriend who was supposed to have scratched an itch for a night but didn't. Caroline, the blonde in the pub who Serena had kissed with abandon. A brief flirtation with an Australian travel writer, Bill. But not Leah. She'd never mentioned her.

'But then she told me that I was free to go home with her. And I couldn't.'

'Why not?' Bernie didn't really want to know the answer but had to ask anyway. Serena looked at with an expression she couldn't make out.

'Because I was still thinking of you.'

Bernie's breath caught in her throat and her heart beat in double time.

'But I froze you out. We weren't speaking. You were free to be with whoever you wanted.'

'You were my first kiss.'

They knew what that meant, huddled together on the floor all that time ago, Bernie leaning forward to capture her, Serena's first experience of another woman's lips on hers.

'And when she propositioned me, I thought, I don't want to do this. Not right now. I'm not ready yet. And not with her. It was all wrong. I wanted you sitting next to me, you to say that to me. So I got up and left. I never told her about you.'

Bernie finally understood why Serena had been so jumpy all these past weeks. Leah must have thought that Serena had been cheating when she'd met her that night. Only she was wrong. Bernie and Serena had officially been together coming up to 9 months now. That Christmas they'd spent apart since knowing each other had been lonely and miserable. When Bernie had got back, she'd instigated a bi-frost between them to protect herself, to warn Serena that she didn't deserve her love. But Serena had shattered that with a well-aimed kiss in her office that left her head over heels once again. Ever since then, they'd wrapped themselves in a blissful cocoon. Nobody at work knew about their relationship and it suited them just fine. But now it looked like they might just be made public.

Donna was soothing Leah's incoming bruise and telling her what a fool she'd been. Donna had a feeling she'd known what Serena and Bernie were doing in the office but hadn't said a thing. The way they smiled at each other in Pulses was a giveaway. She figured that they'd come out in their own time. Leah was tearfully exclaiming her innocence but Donna was having none of it. She'd noticed the odd interaction between Leah and Serena.

'If you mess with Serena, you mess with Bernie. She'll kick your head in if you get in the way.'

Leah was about to know of it first hand.


	4. Chapter 4

She was there, lurking around the corner of the pub. Serena could see her. Immediately her heart plummeted and she felt nervy again. She hated what the sight of this woman did to her.

'I'm sorry I slapped you but are you that desperate for attention? What are you going to do, spread rumours about me? By morning everyone will know about how Bernie and I got together so give it up and go home.'

'I would have liked to have taken you to bed. We could have had so much fun together. But you had to go all frigid on me.'

Now that was a new one on her. Serena had never been accused of that before. 'I was thinking of the woman I could have had a chance with, had I spoken up. Even the knowledge of having lost her didn't change my mind about not wanting to go home with you. I didn't want you.'

'Yes you did. You couldn't wait to try me out. You were desperate to see what a woman could do for you.'

Leah's tone was low and hypnotising and Serena froze with those bright blue eyes boring into her. She couldn't deny how much it had been on her mind and she hated that Leah knew that and had exploited it.

'You weren't her first choice so drop the attitude and back away' came the unmistakable voice of the Major. She came strolling out of the doorway to size up her shrimpy opponent. She knew she could break several bones in that elfin figure. Leah knew she was beaten when she found herself spun around and slammed up against the wall with her arm behind her back. Bernie found this scarily easy. She kept her in a light but firm hold and leaned in to talk quietly.

'The lady said no. I think you'd better go now.'

'You lay a finger on me and I'll report you' she muttered through gritted teeth.

'Think again. We've all clocked off from work. So there's no point in reporting something that has happened off shift. Go home and don't come near us again.'

She let Leah go and watched her stumble away.

'Bloody hell. I didn't realise you could be so violent' muttered Serena.

'I could say the same for you.'

'I'm not proud of it.'

'I would have done the same' Bernie assured her. They sat outside in the cold air to clear their heads.

'I didn't realise you'd do that for me.'

'If anyone hurts you, I'll be there like a shot. Edward is lucky that he doesn't make a pass at you anymore.'

They shared a slight wry smile.

'Nevertheless, we can't do this again.'

'She won't talk.'

'If she does, we're screwed.'

'We'll just have to take the chance' Bernie told her.

They leaned against the wall in silence, fingers linked. Tomorrow they knew that the porters would gossip and both AAU and the ED would explode with the information about their intimate acquaintance. Donna wouldn't keep her mouth shut for long and Jason would candidly tell anyone who asked that his auntie kissed girls now. Ellie would have a fit and Edward would be on her case but it would be worth it, Serena thought. Because she loved no man more than she loved Bernie.

Bernie knew she'd fight to protect but hoped never to do that again. Not for someone like Leah, underhand though her tactics were.

Love was a dangerous thing but sometimes, risks had to be taken.


End file.
